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Aaron Blunck burst onto the freeskiing scene in 2011 and quickly climbed the halfpipe ranks with multiple World Cup podiums, X Games invites and a spot on the first-ever U.S. Olympic Team for halfpipe skiing. (Getty Images/AFP/Franck Fife)

David Wise clinched a nomination to the first-ever U.S. Freeskiing Olympic team Sunday with his victory in the snowy halfpipe final at the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix presented by The North Face at Breckenridge.

The nation’s leading freeskiing athletes continue the battle for Olympic team spots Jan. 8-12 when the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix presented by The North Face heads to Breckenridge for the third of five Olympic qualification events.

David Wise led a full-throttle U.S. sweep of the first-ever halfpipe skiing Olympic qualifier at the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships Saturday night at Breckenridge with Aaron Blunck and Lyman Currier finishing second and third.

With just 100 days to go to the Sochi Olympic Winter Games, The North Face unveiled the official 2014 U.S. Freeskiing competition uniforms to be worn by U.S. Freeskiing athletes when the sport makes its historic Olympic debut.

Devin Logan returned to the scene of her season ending injury a year ago to lead four U.S. athletes on the podium in the season opener Audi FIS World Cup halfpipe skiing contest in Cardrona, New Zealand.

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Colorado native Aaron Blunck has accomplished quite a bit with his 18 years on this Earth, and he can now add the title Olympian to his list of lifetime achievements. Blunck had a banner 2013-2014 season with multiple World Cup podiums, an X Games invite and impressive results during the Grand Prix Olympic qualifying series, which earned him a spot on the first-ever U.S. Olympic Freeskiing Team. Aaron represented the U.S. at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games and finished seventh in halfpipe skiing, cementing his name in freeskiing history. To top it off, Blunck finished second in halfpipe and fourth overall on the AFP world ranking list.

Blunck first turned heads in freeskiing in 2012 by taking bronze at the inaugural Youth Olympic Winter Games with his smooth style and tricks. With five podiums in the 2011-2012 season, from USSA’s U.S. Revolution Tour to the Gatorade FreeFlow Tour, Aaron made it clear he would be one to watch in the coming years.

In 2013 Blunck started his season off strong with a third at the North Face Park & Pipe Open Series and then nabbed his first World Cup podium at the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix at Copper Mountain. His smooth and stylie runs earned him a debut invite to X Games Aspen and Tignes. He also earned an invite to FIS World Championships and jumped from 29th to fifth in the AFP World Ranking for 2013.

FIRST TRACKSIt’s no secret that skiing runs in Blunck’s blood. He started out on skis at 18 months old in Crested Butte, Colorado. Both his Mom and Grandpa were ski instructors. Blunck says, “My Grandpa started the ski school in Crested Butte, which got my mom into skiing and me and my brother. My parents put me out on snow and there I was.” Blunck, a member of the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, was a member of the U.S. Freeskiing Halfpipe Rookie Team for a short while before quickly moving up to the pro team.

OFF THE SNOWWhen Blunck’s not making turns, he likes to hang out with his friends, play soccer, play baseball and bounce on tramps. He says, “I also like to try and play basketball, but I am not very good at it.”